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Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed in a firefight with U.S. forces in Pakistan and his body was recovered, President Barack Obama announced on Monday. Here is a timeline of major events in bin Laden's life.

Bin Laden threatens al Qaeda will kill any Americans it takes prisoner if accused September 11 planner Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, held by United States, is put to death, according to an audiotape aired on al Jazeera. (Reuters; Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Three hijacked planes crash into major U.S. landmarks, destroying New York's World Trade Center and plunging into Pentagon. A fourth hijacked plane crashes in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people are killed. In a video released later, bin Laden says collapse of towers exceeded al Qaeda's expectations. (Reuters; Image Credit: File/Postmedia News)

Al Qaeda (The Base) is established as a magnet for radical Muslims seeking a more fundamentalist brand of government in their home countries and joined in common hatred of the United States, Israel and U.S.-allied Muslim governments. (Reuters/Image Credit: Yasser Al-Zayyat/Getty Images)